Daimons
History Daimons, despite the similarity in name, are nothing like Demons. They often go by other names to avoid confusion: totems, spirits, pagan gods, or deities. They are usually formed by emotions, thoughts, or prayers that are shaped inside an essence cloud during an eldritch essence storm. The essence storm solidifies the psychic energy into a crystal that incubates the daimon embryo until it hatches. Newly born daimons are relatively weak compared to angels and demons while in the Void as eldritch essence is not as nourishing as supernal or infernal essence in the Void. Eldritch essence is weak in the Void and to seek out more filling eldritch energy, many daimons leave their birthplace to migrate to other places, usually settling on essence-rich planes such as one of the Intrinsic Fields or in mystically capable planets like Earth. Daimons are easily able to travel in other parts of the Void as well, adapting easily to life in Heaven, Hell, or in the Fae lands. Daimons are also able to use almost all ascension chains and anchors to traverse to and from the Void without ill-effect. My journal will cover those most likely to be encountered in the field and likewise will be mostly confined to Earth's daimons. Where can you find daimons on Earth? Look around. You probably won't see one standing there, but chances are you can see their influence. They are everywhere. Young daimons often become protective spirits of rivers, woodlands, cities, families, buildings, fields, churches, or even specific people. As their domain prospers, so does the daimon. Some daimons will remain with their domain for as long as possible, other opportunistic daimons will abandon their domain for younger daimons to assume control over while they use their new power to move on to bigger and better domains. In the old world, many daimons grouped together in Pantheons and took on new identities, often even engaging in familial relationships (real or adopted) with other daimons. I should note that not all deities are daimons, but daimons are present in almost every pantheon I am familiar with. Even the Olympians, who come from mortals grafted with Titanic essence, made extensive use of daimons as minor municipal deities and nature spirits. In fact, the word "daimon" comes from the word the Greek "daemon" (which was also perverted to be used for 'demons,' hence the similar naming). Daimons take on traits according to the eldritch essence they consume through a variety of means. Many of the more powerful daimons at one point fed on Odic essence directed to them in the form of worship or stories. The essence then shaped them according to their legend. As most of these religions have waned in worship in the modern world, these daimons have been forced to find other ways to feed their appetite or simply have let themselves blend into mortal life to live among the mortals until their power grows too weak to sustain their existence. Many daimons resort to blood sacrifices or blood offerings as a means to sustain themselves. In the old world, this was a means for a young daimon to rapidly grow in power but in this modern world the number of blood sacrifices needed to catapult a daimon to power would likely attract hunters, so the only daimons who use blood sacrifices tend to only engage in the ritual periodically as a desperate means to nourish them for a long period of time before resorting to it again. Characteristics In this modern world, many daimons masquerade as humans. Even in the old world, many pantheons preferred to have human or human-like forms so as not to be seen as monsters or otherworldly creatures to their worshipers. Some daimons however have tells, usually in the form of animalistic features that appear in whatever form they take. This is often the result of a residual psychic element to their past forms or tied into their legend. Some weaker or less social daimons won't have a form of their own, whether never having one to begin with or have lost it due to being weakened in some manner. These daimons may resort to possession of mortals, inanimate objects, or even corpses. Daimons are incredibly versatile. Many are mighty beings with incredible magical power, but others may only be able to manipulate essence in very minor ways. Daimons, like humans, also can be quite different in how they view things. Some may be against their own pantheon's beliefs, adapting to the modern world and others can be incredibly traditional. Some can be humble and unassuming while others can have incredibly fierce god complexes. Threat Assessment Daimons can be quite powerful, and some of them are powerful enough to be classified as gods. Much like other supernatural creatures like therianthropes, vampires, demons, angels, and ghosts, the abilities of daimons vary between each other. A good hunter should do their research before confronting any violent daimon to be certain of which powers or abilities to expect. When hunting a daimon known to be engaging in blood rituals, hunters should be extra careful as the daimon may still be riding the high from a recent sacrifice and might be more powerful than expected. While each daimon is unique, they do share certain attributes which I'll list below, as well as a small sampling of other powers a daimon might have developed which are known as 'disciplines.' Resources * Daimon Physiology: ** Immortality: Daimons can live forever so long as they can maintain a diet of essence suitable to their unique essence makeup. While properly nourished, daimons are immune to aging and disease. ** Invulnerability: While properly nourished, daimons are unharmed by conventional weaponry, and are immune to pain, common physical ailments, and disease. They can, however, be harmed and killed by other supernatural beings, magic, enchanted weaponry, holy or unholy relics, or weapons made of adamant. ** Mythic Might: Daimons that have a physical form (whether their own or borrowed) are always exceedingly strong, with even the weakest daimons being able to casually overpower, maul, and lift full-grown humans. ** Mythic Stamina: Daimons are rarely exhausted by physical exertion. ** Magic: As beings of essence themselves, daimons are natural magic-users. Many possess incredible magical powers and knowledge, with some being truly god-like in their understanding of the occult. ** Supernatural Senses: As supernatural beings themselves, all daimons can see and interact with the unseen forces at work, such as ghosts and astral beings. * Daimon Disciplines: ** Mythic Speed: Some daimons can move at incredible speeds, particularly messenger or travel daimons. ** Telekinesis: Many daimons have the ability to move objects by exerting their will. ** Telepathy: Many daimons possess the power to read the thoughts of other beings in a variety of degrees. ** Mythic Senses: Most daimons possess one or more superhuman senses. Very common for hunting daimons to have multiple improved senses. ** Teleportation: Some of the older and more powerful daimons have this power. Almost all daimons can teleport to their domain. ** Biokinesis: Some daimons have the ability to control a person's body, either through harm or transfiguration. ** Chronokinesis: Some of the most powerful daimons can bend time itself, usually pausing time to converse with another being in private. This is a truly rare ability and only found among the most elder of daimons. The use of this ability is also exhausting. ** Cosmic Awareness: Many daimons have greater knowledge about the universe than humans and other supernatural beings. Some of these beings may refer to something known as the 'Tapestry,' 'Murums,' or a 'Monitor' and his 'Fanatics.' ** Shapeshifting: Many daimons have multiple forms and trickster daimons are known for usually mastering this discipline. ** Possession: Most common among daimons without a physical form of their own, daimons with this ability can usurp control of the body of a mortal creature or a corpse, or inhabit an inanimate object. ** Conjuration: Some daimons have the power to create something or someone from nothing but essence. Usually that which is created is something the daimon is an expert on. So, for instance, war gods might conjure weapons and armor, or a forge god might be able to conjure fire or a hammer. A daimon who protects a school might be able to make a pencil or paper appear and a daimon who lives on a farm might be able to conjure livestock or produce. Tricksters are known to have this ability, though many use illusions to appear to have this ability. The use of conjuring requires a lot of essence so it is rarely seen used among daimons in this modern world. ** Influence Over Vegetation: Many daimons have the ability to have some influence over plants and vegetation such as returning dead plants to life. ** Weather Manipulation: Some daimons, particularly weather gods, can influence the weather directly. Many rural daimons developed some limited version of this to protect their domain from a harsh winter or by providing a climate well-suited for planting and harvesting. ** Pyrokinesis: Many daimon have the ability to manipulate and generate fire by sheer will alone. ** Truth Compulsion: Some daimon have the ability to compel humans to speak the truth. ** Electrokinesis: Some daimons have the ability to manipulate and generate electrical energy. In this modern world, this is becoming all the more common. ** Necromancy: Many underworld or death-associated daimons have the power to control spirits/souls or raise zombies. ** Power Granting: Some daimons have the power to give mortals powers. If these are temporary abilities, they are called 'blessings'. If they are more or less permanent, they are often called 'boons' or 'gifts'. ** Tongues: One of the first abilities most daimons learn is to understand any language without training in it. Weaknesses Though they are powerful beings, deities can be killed by a variety of methods: * Ancient Rules: Daimons are subject to the same ancient rules and pacts of the Void and many also have intrinsic compulsions to abide by other rules. The ancient rules of the Void are numerous and complicated, not easily discussed here but a common one is the rule of hospitality which means a guest of the daimon is not to be harmed by the daimon if the guest shows proper respect. This is similar to the Axiom which the Endless abide by, which could possibly hint that the Endless imposed these ancient rules on the daimons and other residents of the Void long ago, or the Axiom and the Ancient Rules came from the same source. * Wooden Stakes: Many daimons are vulnerable to certain types of wooden stakes, which must usually be dipped in certain kinds of blood (virgin blood, lamb's blood, fresh blood, dead man's blood, etc.). The stakes usually work best if made from the wood of trees that are common to a past homeland of the daimon or are somehow tied to their legend. * Supernatural: Other supernatural beings can harm daimons. * Magic: Like all things, daimons are subject to magic and similar cosmic forces. * Adamant: Daimons have a weakness to adamant. Many can use adamant weapons themselves while others find the mere touch of the metal to be painful or uncomfortable. Templates Many daimons, particularly those from pantheons, seem to fit into certain niche roles which may make deducing their abilities easier. Tricksters A special type of daimon and supposedly quite powerful, these beings are common in many cultures and thrive on creating mischief and mayhem. They may have the power to make objects materialize out of thin air and can remove them just as quickly. Anansi of West African myths is a Trickster Daimon. Chieftains Chieftains are the daimons that are (or at least were) the leaders and rulers of their own pantheon. Due to this, they usually are the most powerful of daimons as they once got the lion's share of worship. Odin from the Norse gods is a Chieftain. Primordials These are the daimons born or created on Earth itself. Not strictly daimon according to some scholars' definitions, but at the very least cousins to the daimon. They run the range from being ultra-powerful (Ouranos, Gaia) to mediocre (Cain, Abel). Ouranos and Gaia were two powerful daimons born on Earth in its primal state, long before humans ever existed. They became immensely powerful as a result, enough to create their own breed of daimons (see Titans). Other primordials include the supernal primordials Adam and Eve and the infernal primordial Lilith which were the Presence's experiments at creating human-like creatures. Adam and Eve's two sons, Cain and Abel are also primordial and were the progenitors of the vampire and therianthrope curses (with some help from Lilith). Due to their connection to Earth, Primordials do not require worship but are intrinsically connected to Earth. So long as Earth remains, so will the primordial. Ouranos is the only known primordial to have actually been permanently killed (at least permanent so far) as his essence was divided amongst his offspring and used to enrich themselves - this same power was later usurped from the Titans by the Olympians. Titans Titans were the offspring of the first two daimons of Earth: Ouranos and Gaia. They observed the other daimons migrating to Earth and created the Titans to be the governors of these migrants, as well as the developing race of man. The Titans were created in a lab known as The Haven, using condensed and purified essence, creating some of the most powerful supernatural beings ever known to exist. The Titans grew mad with power however and killed their own father Ouranos and locking their mother Gaia in the dimensional prison known as Tartarus (created from Ouranos' own death). The Titans were later overthrown by their own creations, the Olympians, who were mortals grafted with Titanic power. Demigods The offspring of daimon and human produces a demigod. Demigods usually cannot take on powers except that which their daimon parent possesses, though many demigods may focus on one power to such a degree that they become more proficient in that power's use than their parent. Possessing a soul also frees demigods of the need to feed on essence or require worship, but for the possible exchange of mortality and other human weaknesses.Dinkley Files: Daimons Trivia and Notes Trivia * Daimons often are able to travel through Ascension Chains without effort, traversing the mortal realms.Heaven, Hell, and Limbo too * In the Brazilian rainforest there's a tribe of daimons called Caipora led by Ci ("Mother of the Forest").Network Files: Ma-Ti 1 * Being called Ruby is half-Daimon, but she's considered Lilim as the father's parentage isn't taken into account for designation as a Lilim.Network Files: Ruby Links and References * List of Daimons Category:Species